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Member:

A. Patrick Hamilton

Patrick Hamilton graduated from Capital University Law School in 1979. Prior to graduation, Pat served as a Court officer in the Franklin County Domestic Relations Court starting in 1977. After graduation Pat spent two years providing services to clients in need through the Columbus Legal Aid Society. Hamilton Law Office was opened in 1981. His practice has been focused on Adoption, Surrogacy, and Family Law for over 30 years.

Pat is a long standing member of the Columbus Bar Association and he has served on numerous committees including the Family Law Committee, the Community Service Committee and the Admissions Committee. Pat was one of the founding members of the Collaborative Law Counsel of Central Ohio, served on the Board for four years, and served as Treasurer for one year.

Patrick has been a member of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys since 2003 and a member of the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys since 2011. As chair of the Guardian ad Litem Committee Patrick helped redraft the local rule regarding guardians ad litem. Pat was also appointed by the Court to serve on the Mediation Committee, which considers modification of court policy and screens and approves new mediators. In addition Pat served on the Board of Community Mediation Services.

In 1989, Pat was selected to serve the homeless in Central Ohio as the Director of the Columbus Bar Associations legal services volunteer project. This project recognized that homeless men and women were denied access to the legal system because they were not able to hire, or even travel to, a lawyer's office. Pat coordinated the effort to get lawyer volunteers into four shelters each week so their legal needs could be addressed. Even after his tenure with that organization ended in 1999, Pat has continued to serve as an attorney volunteer.

Pat has spoken on numerous occasions on many topics including adoption, surrogacy, the role of guardians ad litem, the Soldiers and Sailors Relief Act, agency adoptions, and other adoption-related topics to name just a few. Pat's membership in the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys and the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys affords access to numerous legal resources including contacts with legal professionals throughout the country.

Pat has been married to Debra since 1977, and the two of them have worked together since 1992. They consider their greatest accomplishments to be their three amazing children, Jaclyn, Andrew and Kate. Yukon, their golden retriever, accompanies them to their office and serves as greeter to the clients. Patrick hopes that his commitment to compassionate and professional service to each client is reflected in his personal history.